This invention relates to an image-sensing server and method and a storage medium and, more particularly to an image-sensing server and method and a storage medium for transferring a sensed video image to a remote client via a network.
A camera control system for controlling a camera (e.g., panning, tilting and zooming of the camera) from a remote place is widely known.
In this system, even though camera control is performed via a network, a device for camera control and a client device do not depend on common specification but on unique specifications (e.g., protocol and control information).
However, in recent years, the Internet has been becoming popular with rapidity, and there is an increasing need from end users to see video images sensed by a camera at a remote place via the Internet.
Also, there is a need to obtain video images currently image-sensed at a remote place in realtime, by sequentially transferring obtained video images.
If this transfer is realized, it is possible to obtain in realtime video images of remote sights while staying at home, or even obtain video images of foreign countries in accordance to circumstances.
However, to meet the above requirements, it is necessary to solve various problems.
Above all, in a large-scale network such as the Internet, once the traffic on the network becomes overcrowded, the data transfer speed becomes slow, and moving image cannot be naturally reproduced.
To solve this problem, the system may be arranged to temporarily store a video image sensed by a camera as an image file into a predetermined storage device, and transfer the image file in accordance with a file-transfer protocol; on the end user side, the file is temporarily stored and is reproduced later.
However, the video image reproduced on the user end side is not a video image, which the user end wanted to see, but merely a video image obtained in advance. This cannot be a xe2x80x9cLive video imagexe2x80x9d.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above situation, and has its object to provide an image-sensing server and method which enables moving-image transfer service by sequentially transfer live video images obtained by a video camera, via a general network such as the internet.
According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing an image-sensing server, connected to a general network, capable of controlling image-sensing means, comprising: transfer means for transferring a series of video images, obtained by the image-sensing means, to a client device on the network, as a moving image; detection means for detecting the degree of traffic congestion on the network; and control means for controlling a data amount of video images transferred by the transfer means, in accordance with the result of detection by the detection means.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same name or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.